What would your reaction be if one day you returned to your home that had been built by your great-grandfather only to find that someone has moved into your house, forced your family out and told you that you had to live in a shed at the far end of the property? Would you be angry? Of course you would be, but having only your lunchbox in your hand and no other form of protection you would be forced to comply. Much the same happened to the Native Americans living here in the United States when the first European settlers started to arrive. When Christopher Columbus discovered America he not only found a land rich with resources he also discovered a land inhabited by an indigenous population. In an article entitled The Balance of Injustice and the War for Independence, David Lyons (1994) states: Contrary to the story that European Americans have been all too willing to accept, European immigrants came to inhabited territory in North America. Native Americans were numerous and many dwelt in stable communities. They had cleared land on the eastern seaboard and cultivated extensively. Their nations had established territories which were vital to the hunting component of their economics. These facts were evident to European settlers--especially to those who escaped starvation by accepting as gifts the fruits of Native American agriculture.

These natives welcomed the Europeans with open arms and gave them food, shelter and gifts. This was short lived though. The Europeans wanted to settle this land and claim it for England. How were they to do this if there were people already living here? The king gave these immigrants permission to acquire this land even if it meant by force. Some of these immigrants had compassion and understanding for the natives that lived there and tried to trade with them for land possession but most of the time these inhabitants were just regarded by these new...

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...RACISM &amp; DISCRIMINATION – NATIVEAMERICANS
By Fred Bridgwater
NativeAmericans have had a huge impact on history and racial relations since they have been on the North American continent for over 10,000 years. They have been discriminated against since the colonial era. The racism against these people was legally sanctioned due to greed. These people have endured the Indian Wars, NativeAmerican reservations, segregation, residential schools, slavery, and internment camps. They have been banned from white schools, from public facilities and restaurants, and all kinds of establishments and businesses. Finally, beginning in the mid – 20th century formal racial discrimination has been banned, making it unacceptable and morally repugnant.
The primary objective during the colonial and independent periods in history was to obtain NativeAmerican resources through conflicts and wars. There have been many issues with the NativeAmericans that have been political, social and culture. These issues concerned keeping their legal status as tribes, maintaining tribal lands and preserving elements of their culture. These elements include languages, music and dance, art, and religious practices. The main political issue has been their land. Their land was taken and hardships imposed through wars, massacres, forced...

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The Myth of NativeAmerican History
Written from the perspective of a news reporter.
In contemplating the history of the NativeAmerican one cannot help but conjure up images of the Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto, pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving feasts. Many of us can recall in our grade school years assembling our shoebox dioramas depicting scenes of NativeAmerican culture and historical events. How convenient was it for the education system to put NativeAmerican History in a neat little box instead of tackling the difficult reality of our dark past. The truth of the matter is that the NativeAmericans have endured the atrocities of genocide and relocation while the rest of society has turned a blind eye.
"In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" . . . and made the first contact with the "Indians." For NativeAmericans, the world after 1492 would never be the same. This date marked the beginning of the long road of persecution and genocide of NativeAmericans, our indigenous people. Genocide was an important cause of the decline for many tribes. "By conservative estimates, the population of the United states prior to European contact was greater than 12 million. Four centuries later, the count was reduced...

...NativeAmerican removal is something that is considered a dark period in Untied States History. Many natives spilled their blood on their land that was taken from them by our American Government, many people then saw it as there right to expand westward (Manifest Destiny) if we didn’t take over the land, the United States would most definitely be different.
The first major move of the United States government was setting up The Bureau of Indian Affairs. With this as well the US army established an outpost in Oklahoma to prepare for the relocation of the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes to the new established Indian Territory. This was all set up in 1824 and really got the ball rolling with Indian removal. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was set up by the department of the interior and their main goal was to oversee the administration and the management of the land set aside for the Natives. The bureau is in fact still around today.
The next major force in the migration of the natives was the Indian Removal Act, it was a law passed on May 28, 1830 by President Andrew Jackson. This provided the resettlement of Natives west of the Mississippi from 1830-1840. From that time over 60,000 NativeAmericans migrated. This removal led to many more Indian problems with the United States government. This led to the Seminole Wars that lasted from 1817-1858. Another...

...of The United States of America the colonists and later Americans had to deal with the Natives that were rightfully there first. The federal government’s diplomacy approach with NativeAmericans during the time periods of 1790 to 1880 and 1880 to 1900 differ in a few ways. During the period of 1790 to 1880 the government participated it removals, treaties, reservations, and even war. In addition, the treaties and acts in this time period that the government approached with, usually ended in the U.S. taking the land of the NativeAmericans. During the time period of 1880 to 1900 the government’s approach to NativeAmericans was less involved and really only relied on a few moves to take the land of the Indians. One thing in common with the two time periods is the fact that the NativeAmericans were not treated fairly.
One treaty of the time period including 1790 to 1880 was the result of a battle with the Shawnee, Wyandot, and other NativeAmerican tribes called the Battle of Fallen Timbers. This was the treaty of Greenville in 1795, in which the natives surrendered claims to the Ohio Territory. This particular treaty was never signed by the influential NativeAmerican Tecumseh who would be a key component in later NativeAmerican...

...﻿Brittany Hirsch
Speech
November 6, 2014
Informative Speech
Topic: NativeAmerican tribes from my area
Title: Trail of Tears
I. NativeAmerican tribes primarily in my area
A. How many of you actually know about NativeAmerican tribes and the history of them?
B. I’m going to be going over and inform you about the differences and common similarities between the two main tribes in the south Florida area known as the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians in Florida.
II. Similarities between both tribes
A. Both tribes at first were called Seminoles and were part of Creek Nation and both primarily spoke in “Miccosukee”
B. They are both related by their culture but far from similar in their political views.
C. In 1813-1814 Seminoles in Alabama fought back against the whites (Euro-Americans) and other Creek nations siding with the whites which started the “Creek War” and lead survivors into Florida and migrating westward into what is now known as Oklahoma
1. 1832 the Payne’s Landing treaty was signed to allow Seminole to build a reservation in Oklahoma along with compensation for each tribal member
a) 10,000/Month
D. In 1830 is when the “Trails of Tears” was derived following the “Indian Removal Act”
1. The Seminoles where then forced to migrate west of the Mississippi river even after the Payne’s Landing treaty was signed.
E. Between 1813-1858 there were...

...Don’t Drink the Water: The Persecution of NativeAmericans in the 1800s
When first hearing Dave Matthews Band’s “Don’t Drink the Water,” you might believe the song is about the apartheid having knowledge of Matthews’ country of birth but when you continue to listen to the song the listener will discover a different story behind the song. Matthews moved to The United States when he was two leading him to write about different events in America’s history. Through the different stanzas Dave Matthews Band’s lyrics criticizes the story of America’s massacre and removal of the NativeAmericans in the 1800’s.
In the first stanza Dave sings “Come out come out, no use in hiding,” then continues on a few lines later with “not room for both, just room for me, so you will lay your arms down, yes I will call this home,” signaling the first effect of the Americans on the redistributing of the NativeAmericans. In the early 1800’s America, many Americans wanted more land as their population increased which therefore meant moving west into territory already claimed by the NativeAmericans. The NativeAmericans, after being moved countless times before due to the arrival of the Europeans (turned Americans), did not want to give up this land. Both sides (The Natives and Americans)...

...
In the past, American Indians were treated poorly by the white people they came in contact with. Not only did the whites discriminate against the Indians, they took their land, children, and made false interpretations about the way they lived. The whites had no idea about the indians ways of life and should not have been mocking them. All of these instances and many more made the Indians feel belittled and irrelevant in the eyes of other people.
In eighteen thirty President Andrew Jackson along with the rest of the United States government designed the Indian Removal Act that would remove the indians from their lands. While this treaty did not force the indians to move off their land, it allowed the president to negotiate with the indians and make them relocate. In September of eighteen thirty the first NativeAmerican tribe to voluntarily sign the removal treaty was the Choctaws. Although the government kept there promise of relocating the indians to a different section of land, they often abused their right. When relocating, the government would choose lands that were not suitable for the indians needs like hunting, fishing and growing crops. The government knew what they were doing and they succeeded in their plan. When the indians could not grow their crops or hunt for their food they started losing money and living in poverty. In order for them to pay for their needs they had to sell their land back to the government...

...Adriana Calderon
April 28, 2011
Ethnic Study 1
Native America Federal Policies from the 1800s to 2000
The new US Government was careful not to antagonize the Indians and sought to treat them with mutual respect. This is evidenced in early treaties where the term “Red Brothers” was used to convey this sentiment of equality. By 1800 interaction between the Indian and white settlers had become quite common through trade. Many Indians traded for household goods, traps and tools. The US became concerned about the cultural differences and sought to improve the Indian station in life by providing education. The United States no longer feared the Indian but rather took a paternal position toward the Indians and the treaty language reflected this when the Indian was referred to as “Our Red Children.”
The US Constitution via Article I section gives the Federal Government dominant power over states in policy making; the congress shall have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes. The Constitution further enumerates these powers denied to the states in Article I section x. The state of Georgia challenged the federal government’s power over states rights, a precursor to the Civil War, when it challenged the trust relationship and the autonomy of the Cherokee. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall in three decisions (Marshall Trilogy) upheld the United States’ federal power, defined the...